Fox Sports Lands Its First Major Golf Tourney With 12-Year Deal For U.S. Open

Less than two weeks before the launch of its 24-hour national sports network, Fox Sports has swung a surprise deal for golf’s U.S. Open. The 12-year multimedia pact, which starts in 2015, marks the first time a PGA Tour major tournament will air on Fox. The pact announced today makes Fox Sports the domestic broadcast partner for the USGA and also includes rights to its Women’s U.S. Open, U.S. Senior Open and national amateur championships. Financial terms of the agreement weren’t announced. NBC has been airing the U.S. Open’s Saturday and Sunday rounds since 1995, with ESPN showing the opening two rounds. The future looks dim for lightning-rod analyst Johnny Miller, who won the U.S. open 40 years ago and has been a big part of the event’s announcing team since NBC took over. “I feel bad for the USGA in a way that money was more important than basically a good golf crew,” he told the Associated Press. Under the deal, Fox Sports will deliver 146 hours of USGA golf, including a minimum of 70 hours of the U.S. Open, Women’s Open and Senior Open championships. Fox Sports 1, which goes live August 17, will be part of the coverage, but its role was not specified.